Talk About Eternity
by MonaBee
Summary: Sakura Haruno has never been good at romance. Her first love was a total failure. Now she has two different men vying for her attention and she isn't sure how to handle it. Sai doesn't care; Naruto is just about useless and asking Sasuke for advice on dating is like asking to never have a relationship again. Oh what is our pink-haired kunoichi to do? Kakasaku/Itasaku/slightNaruHina
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Sasuke would be dead and Shinachiku would be graduating as a genin early._

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Talk About Eternity

**Chapter 1: **_Scissors_

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Sometimes Sakura wondered if her hair was more of a curse than a blessing.

It was the colour of youth and all things girly. It was _not _the sign of a highly trained shinobi. Her mother had cooed when her daughter was born with hair the colour of cotton candy. It had been a point of interest for most people since she had started at the academy. Many simply assumed that she dyed it periodically but those who knew her; those who had gone through all those hardships alongside her knew the truth. And to be honest those who hadn't didn't mean very much to her.

Sakura tried to think back as to what had made her the way she was today. She was strong; a force to be reckoned with. But past her hard exterior, grown from the pain of rejection and being unable to keep up with the rest of her team was a young girl who still felt inferior at times. A girl who still worried about the size of her forehead and whether or not her smile at least _seemed_ genuine.

Years of being treated like the weakest link did not disappear overnight. Years of constant pain and rejection didn't go away with one small apology. Sometimes she felt like she was slowly being cut in half with a very sharp pair of scissors. She constantly felt torn; between her life as a shinobi and responsibility to her team, and her gut-wrenching love for that damn Uchiha. She still loved him even now, despite the torment and pain he had caused her. She no longer believed that she would ever experience proper love. That dream had shattered a long time ago; along with the mirror that used to make her feel good about herself. Now all she had were sharply edged shards that reflected a girl whose life was in disarray. _Well at least the mirror is honest._

She absently twirled a strand of her cherry-blossom coloured hair and thought about how different things might have been had she taken to being a field-nin rather than working with the medics after the war. She really was gifted with medical-jutsu though, and her chakra control was finer than nearly everyone she knew. She had an eidetic memory, a fact that no one other than herself and Ino knew about. It did help her at times, though some things are often best forgotten. The clarity of her memories only ever made the nightmares worse. Lightening flashed across the room and she heard a distant roll of thunder. Sakura frowned subconsciously. She absent-mindedly wondered when she had started to think about herself so darkly.

The lights in her office were dimmed and the soft patter of rain on the window was gently lulling her to sleep. She felt awfully stiff and her throat was dry despite the six cups of half-drunken coffee strewn across her desk; one threatening to topple to the ground and stain her new carpet. The sound of footsteps traipsing lightly near her door pulled her out of her momentary stupor. Sakura sighed and put down her pen. Her hand ached from overuse but the stack of paperwork seemed to only get higher every hour.

Tsunade-sama really had it out for her.

Honestly Sakura should have been at home by now; preferably relaxing in a nice foamy bubble bath, but she _had _been the one to ask for more work; anything to keep her mind off the Uchiha who had gotten her into this mess in the first place.

Normally she would have spent time with Naruto – probably eating ramen or something equally as ridiculous – but he had busied himself with spending every waking moment in the presence of one Hinata Hyuuga. Even Sakura had to admit that they were head over heels for each other; though Hinata had been so for years. The pretty girl's shy glances and muttered "Naruto-kun's fooled no one. Though she knew Hinata was good for Naruto and approved of the relationship. Sometimes Sakura wondered if the Uzumaki's brain even knew how to comprehend romance. How Hinata put up with it was anybody's guess. Even Ino was spending some time with her new significant other. No one was more surprised than her to find out that Ino-pig had taken a shine to Sai in all his indifferent ways. She supposed it was the lure of a boy who could draw.

This left Sakura alone and bored. Sasuke was no longer speaking to her - though he didn't exactly have the right to. They had left things off on a rather sour note with Sakura ready to slit the younger Uchiha's wrists herself. Sasuke had not talked to her since. In some ways it hurt that he was ignoring her. Those childhood feelings still lingered, though now they only left a bitter taste at the back of her mouth.

She was tired. Physically and emotionally. She just wanted to go home and lie in a warm, comfortable bed more than anything. Lightning flashed again but this time the thunder was much louder. Sakura got up and walked to the single window set in the side of her tiny office. The streets were empty and dark. She and the other hospital night-shift takers were probably the only people still awake at this hour. Her home was not far from the hospital. A good 15 minute walk when she pushed it.

Sakura weighed the pros and cons. If she went home now she would walk alone. She didn't have an umbrella or a coat and her shoes were not exactly prime wet weather walking material. She could stay the night at the hospital. It wasn't as if she hadn't done it before. There were spare blankets in the supply closet just down the hall and she was sure there would be an extra mattress in one of the less used wards. Still, home promised a warm bath and sustenance. Sakura reminded herself that she hadn't eaten since yesterday. Skipping meals had been something she had become prone to doing. She didn't do it on purpose. She knew better than anyone that her body needed the sustenance to keep on being alive but she managed to miss several meals in a row regardless. Somehow an image of Shikamaru flashed through her mind. He mouthed the word 'troublesome'. Even that lazy bum had started to worry over her eating habits.

_Home it is._

Sakura pulled off her white coat but then glanced outside and decided she needed it. Her work was still piled high on her small oak desk and the coffee cups really needed to be returned to the cafeteria. _The work I'll finish tomorrow. The coffee cups can go back now. _She threw her small purse over her shoulder and picked up all of cups. She just managed to manoeuvre through the dark corridors without dropping a cup. There was not a single light on under the doors of the other offices. At least her co-workers were sane.

After depositing the cups in the cafeteria Sakura headed for the hospital's main doors. The new night receptionist took no notice of her. No one was milling about in the lobby and the girl had taken to reading a magazine. Sakura smiled softly to herself, trying to recall what it had been like to have silly flyaway crushes and giggle over the latest fashion news. But those times were long over. Now she was in charge of rebuilding this village's healthcare system from the bottom up and not even Kami was going to stop her from fulfilling her duty. Sakura quickly signed herself out and stepped through the doors, only to be bombarded with rain and wind.

_Oh how absolutely brilliant._

The only light going up and down the entire street was from the hospital and soon she was plunged into darkness. That, coupled with the storm and a strange sense of unease made her want to turn around and snuggle up in the emergency ward. At least then she wouldn't be soaking wet and slipping all over the place. For a kunoichi of her standing she should have been able to keep better balance. Sadly that was not the case. She was nearing her house now. Not more than 500 meters left. The street was muddy and her heels kept getting lodged in the cracks between the stones. She probably looked like some sort of avenging ghost with her pastel hair plastered to her face and white coat sticking to her uncomfortably.

A slither of cold made its way down her spine and suddenly she realised that she was being followed. She hastened her step but whoever was behind her matched her pace easily. She was literally at her doorstep though. All she had to do was find her stupid keys in the tiny purse. Why was it so difficult to find one stupid set of keys?

"Looking for these, Sakura-san?"

Sakura froze at the sound of the amusement in the familiar voice.

"Kakashi-sensei. I don't know why you have decided to become a stalker but would you mind giving me back my keys? You may be invulnerable to the cold but not everyone is a freak of nature." Sakura turned around to see the lanky form of her old teacher. He was barely visible in the dim light of her front porch. He held out the keys to her and she snatched them away. She noted that his hand had been shaking slightly but she simply dismissed it as a symptom of the cold. She quickly unlocked the front door and stepped inside before turning around. Sakura sighed. He would not have followed her home had there not been a proper reason.

"What do you need Kakashi-sensei?" He scoffed.

"Well you could stop calling me 'sensei' for one. Or you know, you could just make sure I'm not about to die from this scratch I got when I was in Fire." He always made things sound so flippant. Sakura turned on the hall light and it illuminated Kakashi; and now Sakura could see what he meant. He was ridiculously pale and his entire right side was soaked in blood. He was without his jacket, which meant at some point it had become more of a hindrance than a help. Sakura wasn't one to faint at the sight of blood. Blood was something every shinobi had to deal with, but seeing her sensei in his current condition made her slightly sick. Call it her motherly instinct.

"Quickly, come inside. And for Kami's sake be quiet. My parents are asleep."

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Kakashi made it to Sakura's kitchen before promptly passing out. She suspected from blood loss though once she'd managed to cut his shirt from him she started to wonder if it was not from poison. The damage was obviously blade-related and judging by how deep it was it was likely a katana. Most regular shinobi made do with shuriken and kunai so Sakura guessed Kakashi-sensei had had a run in with ANBU or missing-nin. _Just a scratch hey? _Sakura gently probed the wound without disturbing the flesh and was relieved to find that there were no traces of poison to be found. She set right to work with repairing the broken ribs and tissue damage. The muscles were difficult things and she had a feeling that getting her sensei back in working order would take more than some herbs and her mother's kitchen table. She did as much as she could and tried to replenish the man's blood supply to a high enough level that he would not pass out again if she needed to wake him. He would not be able to stretch his torso for quite some time. She then set about repairing the fragile nerve endings in the soft glow of her healing chakra. She was honestly in no condition to be expending as much chakra as she was but she would rather suffer chakra exhaustion than see her sensei suffer. Once she had done as much as she could she put away her various vials and wrapped up his side.

Sakura was now faced with a dilemma. She couldn't very well leave him downstairs because her parents would freak if they saw some stranger bleeding all over their kitchen table. So Sakura picked him up as carefully as she could and brought him up to her room. She wasn't exactly sure where she would sleep but for now that didn't matter. Once she had cleared her bed and made sure her sensei looked at least mildly comfortable she went to take stock of the mess in the kitchen. It took her about 15 minutes to clean up all the blood and sanitize the tables. By now she was cold and her clothing was stained with blood. Her feet ached because of those awful shoes. A birthday present from Ino.

_I really need a shower._

The next half an hour was spent enjoying the steaminess of a hot shower and making sure she was free of any annoying spatters of blood. She let down her hair too. It was odd having it at that length again. It now fell as a curtain just past her shoulders. _Perhaps I'm due for a haircut._ It felt unnatural to have to tie it up again. The shorter hair made her feel older somehow. More mature. The hot water soaked into her muscles and she felt herself loosen up slightly. She really needed this. Somehow she wasn't just washing away the grime of today but the build-up of emotional dirt seemed to lessen. Sakura stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a white towel before heading into her room to find some pyjamas. What she hadn't expected was for Kakashi to have woken up.

"Well that's a sight I wouldn't mind waking up to more often." Sakura jumped with a soft squeal at the voice of her sensei. His voice was hoarse. If he wasn't injured she would have punched him into next week for that comment.

"Kakashi-sensei! Close your eyes this instant!" Sakura hated that she couldn't shout.

/Why CAN'T you? He deserves it!/

Inner Sakura could be such a pain sometimes. Though rare, sometimes her inner self still liked to make an appearance. _My parents are sleeping. I don't want to wake them up. _Inner Sakura humphed but shut up. Kakashi simply smirked at the girl's command.

"Well it isn't my fault that you've got such an adorable ass." Sakura squeaked and ran back in the bathroom (with the clothes she'd picked out of course). She concluded that Kakashi was probably just delusional from the pain or had woken up from a particularly _enjoyable _dream. Knowing his tendency to read porn just about everywhere she wouldn't have been surprised in the least. She slipped into the baggy tee-shirt and black shorts before switching off the light and moving back into her room. Kakashi was once again unconscious. She quickly left the room and closed the door softly behind her. She would have to sleep on the couch for tonight.

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She was out as soon as her head hit the pillow. And then the nightmares began.

She was back in the chuunin exams, staring helplessly at the sound-nin as she crouched protectively near her boys. She wasn't sure when she had started to call them _her boys_ but they were her team and now she couldn't even do anything to help then. The Sound-nin advanced at a snail's pace, taking time to insult her.

"Who do you think you are little girl, trying to become as strong as the rest of your team? You'll never be more than a burden to them. A hindrance." Their words stung. Sakura just curled in on herself and shook softly.

"You're useless. I don't even know why you try. There's no point. They will never respect you. He'll never love you. You're the most pathetic excuse for a kunoichi I've ever seen. How can you compare yourself to anyone?" The voices shifted. Some were the voices of her childhood tormentors. Others were unknown. Ino's voice even mingled in. The faces swirled around her like a storm threatening to swallow her up. Suddenly the voices stopped and when she opened her eyes there was only darkness.

"Hello?" She was young again. Her hair was uncut and straight. But she was weak. She looked around and spotted another figure on the plane.

"S-Sasuke?" He didn't even turn around. She moved towards him cautiously.

"Sasuke-kun? Please answer me. It's Sakura!" She reached out to touch him but he spun around faster and stabbed her in the chest with a kunai. The blood dripped down her dress and intermingled with the red dye. Sakura dropped to her knees and looked at Sasuke.

His eyes showed disgust.

"You useless girl. Can't even defend yourself from a kunai. Some kind of shinobi you turned out to be."

Sakura was choking on her own blood now.

"Sakura?" The voice was soft and faraway. Sasuke was fading away. She reached a hand up to him and he dissolved into nothingness.

"Sakura, wake up honey." Suddenly her chest no longer hurt and she was forced out of the nightmare.

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"Sakura-chan? Why are you on the couch?" Sakura mumbled grumpily and rolled over, trying to block out the light. Mebuki tsked and came right up close to Sakura's ear.

"SAKURA HARUNO YOU BETTER GET UP THIS INSTANT!" Sakura screamed and rolled onto the floor in a tangled heap of blankets. She groaned as her head came into contact with the floor. Her mother simply rolled her eyes. "Now will you please explain to me why you were sleeping on the couch?" Sakura opened her mouth as if she was about to speak when they two kunoichis heard a clatter and bang from upstairs. A rather ruffled and shirtless Kakashi Hatake appeared at the bottom of the staircase; his side was still covered in bandaging but the rest of him was very much uncovered, baring the black mask that he never removed. Sakura groaned and covered her face with one of the couch pillows.

"Sakura? Are you okay?" Mebuki gaped at the sight of this strange man in her house. Yes she had been trying to coax her daughter into to finding a potential husband (she did want grandchildren after all) but seeing this man, who was obviously a shinobi, appear from her daughter's bedroom was more than a little suspicious.

"Sakura honey? Why is there a shirtless man in the middle of my home?" Sakura was lucky her father was away on official ANBU business because if hewere here...

"He was going to die mother. I had to patch him up. He isn't even supposed to be_ moving_. Kakashi-sensei please go back to bed. _Slowly._" He shrugged and moved back up the stairs - with some difficulty - she noted. Mebuki watched as the odd man retreated back to whence he came. Something registered in the older Haruno's mind.

"Did you just say 'sensei'?" Sakura felt extremely frustrated by now. As well as sore. A cot in the emergency ward was probably more comfortable. Though it wouldn't have roused her from the nightmare.

"Yes Kaa-chan. He was my sensei when I was still a genin remember?" Mebuki did faintly remember silver hair that didn't seem to like the laws of physics and an orange book. Yes the book was very familiar.

"Hai. I do. He's very odd is he not?" Sakura couldn't agree more.

"The oddest."

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Tsunade was in a rather interesting predicament.

She was sitting in her office attempting to balance 5 empty sake bottles (the sake a gift from Suna, sent by the Kazekage himself) on top of one another when a nervous-looking Shizune popped her head around her door.

"Hokage-sama? If I may, there is something that needs to be brought to your attention immediately." Tsunade let the bottles fall - she had only managed to stack three - and they rolled off her desk before clattering to the ground. Yes she would probably have to assign someone to clean up the mess but Shizune was obviously worried.

"Yes Shizune-san? Please come in." The girl stepped aside and allowed none other than Yūgao Uzuki, an ANBU member that Tsunade was rather fond of, come through. The young woman pulled off her mask and slumped into the seat adjacent to the Hokage's desk while rubbing her forehead.

"Hokage-sama? We may have encountered a slight problem." Yūgao was not one to joke and thus Tsunade felt rather the more interested.

"Well how about you drink a cup of this brilliant sake and tell me all about this little problem?" Tsunade poured herself another glass and proceeded to sip at it slowly. The girl just shook her head slowly.

"Itachi is back."

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Nobody blamed Tsunade for her initial reaction. Not even Yūgao who had sake spat all over her uniform. The girl dryly commented that she often smelt like an alcoholic after a particularly difficult mission.

"But he's dead! He's supposed to be dead! Shizune, why do people keep coming back to life?" The Hokage's assistant simply kept her mouth shut.

"Where is he? Don't tell me he's wandering through the village."

"No," Yūgao sighed, "He is not in good condition. My team and I found him the forest just outside the village babbling nonsense and unable to see. Yamato suggested he be taken to the hospital but I didn't want to bring him into the village just in case he's just messing with our heads." Tsunade sighed in relief. Somehow she doubted that though. The Uchiha was meant to be dead. If he was now raving mad and completely blind Tsunade was not surprised. Only one thought occupied her mind though.

"Keep him away from his brother. Do not allow word of this to spread. No one is to know. I shall send a medic to attend him for the time being. Then tonight have Yamato move him to the hospital. We will watch him for now."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." The woman left and Shizune came in.

"Hokage-sama if I may make a suggestion? Perhaps we should not allow the Uchiha to be brought here. His presence alone may alert Sasuke to his brother's whereabouts. Who knows how much destruction could be caused? Perhaps it is better to let sleeping dogs lie." Tsunade's eye twitched at the final statement.

"You haven't been taking humour lessons from the Inuzuka have you?"

"No, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade rubbed her temples softly. How was it that everything always went so wrong when everything was going so right? They had been re-building the village and rebuilding their lives. Everything was fine but now...

"I will think on it Shizune-san. Thank you." Shizune left the office. Tsunade grimly realised she had an important message to deliver.

She wondered how her young ward would react to the news of having _two _Uchihas to deal with.

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_NA: Okey dokes people. This is my first Naruto fanfic ever so... well we'll see. It's mainly centered around Sakura though other characters' points of view will be acknowledged as needed. That's pretty much it! Please Review!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of these characters. I only own the plotline._

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone who reviewed and especially **GirlGeorge **for her wonderful reply to my reply! You guys are my motivation hey!**

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Talk About Eternity

**Chapter 2:** _Scythe_

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It was sunny when Sakura stepped into the hospital that morning. She was greeted by the younger and more cheery receptionist and was forced to plaster a smile on her face. She felt even more tired than usual. Her eyelids were drooping by the time she had reached her office. Sakura felt like she had been beaten up by Sasuke. _Again._ Kakashi had healed well, so she had prescribed some training to rehabilitate the newly repaired muscles and nerve endings. He'd solemnly promised to make it up to her despite her soft protests that he had saved her too many times to count.

_If only he could give me what I need._ Sakura felt like a zombie. She now ran solely on coffee and the occasional snack bar. The attacks on the village had become more frequent. She was almost constantly in the emergency room. The ones she couldn't save haunted her nightmares as well.

_'I thought that you were good at this? You're utterly useless!'_

Tsunade had often reminded her that if a patient was beyond help it was _not _her fault and that it mustn't stop her from trying her best to do as much as possible. Some people had no chance of recovery and in the life of a shinobi one must be prepared to move on. But Sakura seemed unable to do so.

After the war nearly everyone went for psych examinations. Naruto had several and Sasuke was forced to take three. Sakura on the other hand had been caught up in the destruction. The sheer decimation of Konohagakure's shinobi population. She went days without sleep while attending to people who sat on the cusp of death. The screams had been the worst. Each was ripped from the throats - already raw and bleeding - of the victims she tended to. Burn wounds were especially bad. Entire faces forever destroyed by the harshness of the flames. Jagged tears into the sides of victims leaving their innards spilling onto the medical table. One man had had his spinal cord ripped right out of his body. Yes, Sakura had even given psych exams but had never had one done for her.

All through this Sakura wondered who the people were that relished in this bloodshed. How could they condone ripping out the heart of a man and crushing it while it was still beating? Splitting a skull and then crushing it underfoot. It was all so very barbaric.

And all so very ingrained into the life she had chosen to lead.

It was in her blood to massacre. She knew a hundred different ways to snap a man's neck with varying degrees of pain and bloodshed. She could punch someone hard enough to turn their brain to mush if she felt like it. Blood had always fascinated her. As had the limits of the human body. Though she knew what she was doing would be terrifying to watch; the ways a man's body could be destroyed excited her. It had been a developing interest since her first chuunin exam. Seeing the way Gaara had crushed his enemies –literally – made her all the more inclined to know as much about it as possible.

She wondered how people would look at her if she informed them of her odd habits. They would most likely treat her with contempt. She would be locked away in a mental institution surely but her bloodlust was comforting. She's spent nearly her entire life surrounded by people who could cause destruction and fear with a glance. It was familiar.

But right now she had other things to be worrying about.

Like the strange letter she found on her desk that morning.

It had the Hokage's seal stamped onto it and that prompted Sakura to think _urgent_. She unfurled the letter and scanned her eyes down the page.

_'Sakura' _Blunt but very Tsunade.

_'It has been brought to my attention that an ex-shinobi of this village was found by a team of anbu as they approached the village. The man's name was Itachi Uchiha.' _Sakura froze up. Sasuke was the only Uchiha left. How had this happened? Itachi had died. She had seen him die. She skimmed the rest of the letter.

'_Mentally unfit… being moved… will be in the hospital… entrusting you… take care of him… don't tell anyone… utmost importance…' _So she would be the caretaker to a mentally unstable Uchiha who could kill her at any moment. How troublesome.

Still Sakura could not ignore a direct order from the Hokage and quickly pulled on her lab coat. She was rather well acquainted to the mental ward of this hospital. The staff this side took no notice of her and rather kept themselves quiet.

_So they must know he is here. Hmm, I expected a guard or something._

Suddenly a rather sharp blade was pressed against her throat from behind and Sakura stopped moving. _Anbu huh? _She quickly held up Tsunade's letter and the Ancu's partner inspected it for a moment. He then motioned for the blade to be removed and Sakura was able to breathe again. She opened the door that the Anbu had been guarding and let herself in.

The room was bright though it lacked windows. The door – she noted – had a deadbolt that could be fastened only from the outside. The Uchiha lay in a plain cot. He was curled into a ball currently and resembled a starvation victim far too much. He obviously acknowledged her presence as there was a slight flutter of chakra. Sakura saw the physical damage done was mainly supplementary. Though his eyes may have been past saving.

The scream was all too sudden and it shattered the relative calm of the room. Sakura rushed to the Uchiha's side and placed her palm on either side of his head before sending a small burst of chakra through her hands. This knocked him out quickly and the shrill sound cut off immediately. The man became limp and his head leaned against her hands. She wondered what had caused the outburst.

After a quick physical she concluded that his eyes were in a state of ruin. It was the overuse of his Sharigan that had messed with his nerves in the area. It was fixable, _in theory, _but it could take months to fully heal and that was just the skin deep problems. Tsunade had said 'mentally unstable'. It was obvious that the Uchiha suffered from memory relapse and night terrors. Sakura wasn't at all surprised. After all the man had worked in close conjunction with the Akatsuki for years. There was no telling what kinds of things he had seen through his journeys. What gruesome sights were now tormenting his malnourished mind.

In some ways Sakura was curious. She wanted to know all about his experiences but through her brief brushes with the Akatsuki in the past she knew that what they did was not something you wanted done to you. Her own village's interrogative squad was vicious and unrelenting. She had been in the bowls of their workplace. Seen the poor souls being tormented and tortured until they broke before finally receiving the mercy of death.

No person was safe. Sakura had learned that the hard way.

And for the next few weeks she was tasked with bringing this man to his senses, so the interrogation team could tear him down again.

* * *

Kakashi Hatake was not a particularly needy person. He didn't want much, other than his Icha Icha paradise books and the occasional bowl of ramen. But one thing he did need was to see his teammates in good condition.

And one Sakura Haruno was not, by all intents and purposes, in good condition.

That was how he found himself at a bar, in conversation with one Ino Yamanaka. Ino was by no means a subtle person. She reminded Kakashi of Naruto in a way with her wide gestures and general rude outtake on life. She wasn't a bad person. He knew of her relationship with Sakura as well as the slowly developing one the Yamanaka had with Sai. The blonde had invited him here on the pretense that she was worried about Sakura's current health situation. Unfortunately with his late streak byt the time he arrived she was always downing her second bottle of sake and shouting profanities to the people on the dance floor.

"Yamanaka-san? Are we not here to discuss Miss Haruno?" Ino looked up from her conversation with the bartender.

"Yes but you should really have some sake first it's amazing." She was slightly tipsy now but not completely out of it.

"No thank you. Now, you said you had a plan?" Kakashi raised his one visible eyebrow.

"'Course I've got a plan. She's been so cooped up in that hospital of hers I bet she can't even remember how to throw a kunai anymore. Personally she looks miserable. I thought that getting her to do some training again might make her happier. As far as I know she's been itching to get out of that hospital. If we get her to apply now maybe she can get a few days off from Tsunade-sama."

Kakashi had to admit the idea did sound good. And reasonable. Though he doubted Tsunade would agree to give her best medic time off straight away he was sure that she would allow it in the interests of her apprentices health. They weren't the only ones who had started to notice Sakura's lack of food and sleep. Even Naruto who's eyes were nearly constantly on Hinata noticed the subtle shift in the girl's disposition. She was not herself.

"Very well then. I'll take her lunch tomorrow and suggest it to her." Ino huffed and pouted.

"Why can't I take her food? She is my best friend you know."

"Yes but you don't have an all access pass to the hospital and they only tolerate so much irritation." Ino looked shocked at his words but simply turned away and sipped her sake.

"I don't like you." Her words were garbled but hear-able. Kakashi snorted.

"You certainly aren't the first person to tell me that."

* * *

It was a few days later when an exhausted Sakura Haruno - who had previously taken an impromptu nap on her desk - was startled awake by knocking on her door. She gasped and sat straight up in her chair.

"I'm awake!" The person merely scoffed and put down a small box on her desk.

"Sure you were. That's why your head was on a desk that you drooled all over." Sakura grumbled and wiped at the side of her mouth.

"What do you want Kakashi-sensei?"

"Sakura-san, when was the last time you had a proper sleep?" He sat down on the edge of her desk and stared at her. His gaze was unnerving, to say the least.

"I sleep every night. There's nothing to worry ab-"

"Don't lie to me Sakura." The way he said her name shocked her. Kakashi _never _dropped the honorific in her name.

"I-I'm not lying, I-" His hand slammed down on her desk.

"Sakura-san! Your mother says that you haven't eaten a proper meal in a week. You haven't even been home for _three days. _I understand that you have a lot of work but that is no excuse to start neglecting your health. You of all people should understand th-"

"No," her voice was cold and distant, "I don't think you do understand. Now please leave my office and make sure to have an appointment before you barge in here again."

Kakashi was taken aback. Sakura had never spoken to him like that before. She always treated everyone with the utmost respect and if she wasn't actually happy underneath she at least put up a front. For that brief moment she sounded like Sasuke; whenever he used to talk about his brother.

Kakashi stood up and shook his head. Sakura needed to get out of this place even more than he'd realised.

"I brought you some umeboshi. Please just eat something." He got up to leave when she grabbed his wrist. Her natural strength still amazed him sometimes. She sighed and rubbed her head.

"I'm sorry okay. I've just been having a hard time lately. Thanks for the meal."

"No. You shouldn't apologise. I should. I deserved that. I'm sorry for always paying you the least attention in the past Sakura. I'm the worst sensei in Konoha, if not the whole shinobi world." She allowed a slight smile to cross her face.

"No you aren't. Besides, the past is in the past. Dwelling on the past is what drives most shinobi to self-harm in any case. By the way, how did you know I loved umeboshi?"

"A good shinobi never reveals his secrets." Sakura scoffed and let go of his wrist.

"That's magicians you baka." Kakashi winked.

"How do you know I'm not a magician?" Sakura did smile this time.

"Because Ino probably told you." He put his hands up.

"Well you caught me. She also told me that you barely get out of this office anymore, although I already knew that."

"Well you can tell her to stop spreading rumours. I get out often enough." It was Kakashi's turn to scoff.

"Oh really? When was the last time you set foot in the training grounds Sakura-san?" She looked slightly nervous.

"Um, does during the war count?"

"No it doesn't."

"Then before the war."

Kakashi had half a mind to slap her upside the head.

The sight of that seal of hers stopped him though. Who knew what she would do to him?

"Okay. You are going to apply for a few days of leave tomorrow and we're going to kick you back into shape. Seriously that is just sad Sakura-san."

"Ok fine. But knowing Tsunade and my newest patient I won't be cleared for official leave for at least a month."

"New patient huh? Who are they?" Sakura suddenly realised just how much of a hole she'd dug herself into.

"Um, just an ex-Anbu member."

"Do I know him."

"Yes."

"Care to elaborate?" She just shook her head.

He simply dropped the issue and moved to leave the room.

"Goodbye Kakashi-sensei."

"Bye Sakura-chan."

It was the first time he had ever called her –chan. It was oddly heart-warming. To tell the truth she had considered calling him Kakashi-kun on multiple occasions but the age difference had always stopped her. He may no longer be her sensei but he still deserved some measure of respect. Still he had called her Sakura, no honorific at all. Twice. She stared down at the box of fresh umeboshi and frowned.

When had they gotten so close?

* * *

The very next day Sakura was informed that an old friend of hers had an appointment. She wondered if Kakashi had taken her advice to heart; but when an angry Ino Yamanaka stormed into her office she was not at all surprised.

"Ino-chan! To what do I owe this pleasure?" Sakura did not bother looking up from the tower of paperwork. Ino marched up to her desk and slammed her hands down in front of the pink-haired kunoichi.

"Okay, you've been ignoring me for weeks. When was the last time you went out? And I mean to a bar or a restaurant or anywhere other than this hospital?" Sakura looked up at her friend and smiled tiredly.

"Ino, you know I have a lot of work to do. I did ask Tsunade-sama for a few days off but she says only in August. I have a special patient to take care of and she doesn't particularly trust the other staff to handle him properly. The only other person who can manage him is Shizune-san and she is busy in Sunagakure trying to tie up some loose ends with our peace treaty. She'll only be back in August."

"Sakura you are 19 years old. You haven't ever gone on a _date, _much less half the things people our age have done. Sometimes you need to take a break, stop being an adult for a day and come out with your old bestie for some sake and loud music." Sakura drooped at Ino's words. She knew that none of them had ever gotten the chance to experience the life of normal teenagers but such was the life of all shinobi. Still, it couldn't hurt to go out for one night could it?

"Fine. Where do you suggest we go?" Ino squealed and clapped her hands together.

"It's a secret!" The blonde grabbed her bag and stepped towards the door.

"Pick you up at eight!"

Somehow Sakura was already regretting her decision.

* * *

Sakura paused in her dressing as she heard an incessant banging against her door.

"I'll get it!" Sakura hurried down the stairs to intercept her mother before she caught what Ino would be wearing. Ino wasn't the most subtle of dressers. If Mebuki knew where they were inevitably going she would ask who was escorting them and if they said no one… Her father was fortunately away on official Clan business but her mother would probably call Naruto or Sai to come watch over them. Neither of them would do diddly squat to stop them from drinking.

"Sakura-chan! Let's see what you're wearing? Oh no. That won't do at all." Sakura found herself being dragged back upstairs and was told to sit on her bed and Ino searching through her wardrobe.

"Ooh, what about this?" Ino held up a red dress with slits on the side, very similar to her usual outfit. It had a neat white trim and cherry blossom patterns swirling up from the hemline. It was pretty but rather tight and bit short for her liking.

"Um, maybe-" But Ino cut her off and started undoing her kimono at once. Two minutes later and she was in this ridiculously short dress and a pair of low heels. Ino had done her hair up into an elaborate bun this time. Now they had to sneak past Mebuki.

Now Sakura wasn't part of any sort of advanced bloodline type clan. Most of her family were civilians. None of them had any sort of kekkei genkai hidden up their sleeves or special moves passed down through the generations. Well, none that she knew of. But her family wasn't utterly useless either. Her mother was an ex-Jonin. Her father was still an active ANBU squad leader. The only thing her clan was known for was chakra control.

And the uncanny ability to be able to discern when someone was lying.

This made it impossible for Sakura's kaa-san to _not _know what she was busy doing at all times.

Ino simply traipsed downstairs and out of the front door but the moment Sakura dipped her toe across the threshold Mebuki's head popped around the doorway. The Haruno death stare was very well known around the village. Sakura used it to keep Naruto out of trouble all the time. But now Sakura stared it down defiantly. She wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a woman in her own right and thus deserved to be treated as such.

Mebuki harrumphed and turned back to her kitchen.

"Send a message if you aren't coming home. And you're only allowed to stay at the Yamanaka's, okay?" Sakura smiled at the reluctant yes and followed Ino into town.

The air was warm, as was the general atmosphere of the village. Summer nights in Konoha were the one of the things Sakura loved about the Hidden Leaf village. Many of the small sushi bars and shops were still open and lantern light spilled onto the cobblestone paths, lighting the way and putting Sakura at ease. Any man that happened to pass her would have been able to tell her that she looked beautiful in the soft glow. The warm breeze tickled her senses and made her giggle.

She suddenly felt very young again, remembering how she used to sit atop her father's shoulders during the festivals and wave around her own lantern. Her mother was young again and carried herself with a breath-taking air of grace and sophistication. Sakura herself was solely focused on the sights and sounds. She only ever had one thing on her mind as a child, dango; the sweeter and stickier the better. Her father never once complained about her getting her sticky finger in his air and instead swung her around and laughed with her. Her mother would brush her candy-floss coloured strands out of her face and hug her daughter to her chest, whispering over and over again how beautiful she was.

But Sakura Haruno was no longer a child. She was an adult. And as such had to deal with being scorned and thought of as useless. She hadn't been called beautiful by anyone other than Naruto and Kakashi in a _very _long time. She wasn't very womanly. She lacked curves in all the right places. Her chest was only a C-cup and on principle she always tightly bound her chest so that it was easier to move. Her hips were average and her stomach flat. Her only notable feature was her legs, though they were often bound when she was on missions and otherwise covered by her modest choices of attire. She looked like a child next to Ino and Hinata. She had changed very little since she was a child.

She was jerked back to the present as Ino yanked on her wrist and tugged her towards a little black door on the side of a building. People were lined up to go in but Ino pulled them to the front of the line and winked at the man guarding the door. He let them in without another word. She heard the people behind them groaning.

"Um, Ino? Shouldn't we be, I don't know, waiting in line?" She was honestly a little sceptical of this place.

"Not when you have connections Forehead. Now, let's get our party on!" Ino pulled her through another door and she was assaulted by sound and light. The whole place reeked of alcohol. The stench nearly knocked Sakura over. Ino led them over to the bar where she started to chat heartily with the bartender and Sakura realised just how few people she actually knew. Of the one hundred people in this room she only knew the name of one. Maybe it was time to start expanding her social networks.

"Hi there." Just as the thought crossed her mind a man came and sat down next to her. He was relatively good-looking, she noted. Short, cropped brown hair and blue eyes. He was tanned and tall and judging by what she could see he was pretty toned.

"Hi."

"Can I buy you a drink?" Sakura bit her lip softly.

"Sure. I'm Sakura, and you are?" The man smiled.

"Masaru. I love your hair by the way. Is it just the light or is it actually pink?" Sakura laughed. Of course he would ask about her hair.

"It's pink. But I don't dye it. Now is it just the light or are you being oddly nice?" He chuckled at her odd attempt at flirting.

"Well you're a very beautiful woman, Sakura." Her face heated up at his comment and she heard Ino giggle behind her. Her friend had obviously been listening in on the conversation.

"Well you aren't half bad yourself, Masaru-san." The bartender came and took their order before handing them the drinks. Sakura sipped hers slowly before leaning on the bar counter.

"So Sakura, what brings a fine lady such as yourself to a place like this?"

"My friend Ino. She's obsessed with getting me a boyfriend. And my other friends see it the same way."

"You're single? I didn't expect it. You're so pretty I kind of assumed that you were taken." Sakura felt her heart clench a little at the comment.

"Oh no. I've never been in a steady relationship." He seemed genuinely surprised at this.

"Really? Well I guess we're both useless at dating then. Neither have I." His smile became more friendly.

"Want another drink?" Sakura looked up at the bartender and smiled.

"Yes please. On me this time." Sakura turned to Masaru with a raised eyebrow.

"Sure." They spend the rest of the evening talking and just generally having a good time.

"And then Naruto tried to catch sensei from behind with his clone but ended up punching himself in the face. It was priceless."

"Woah, your old team sounds hilarious." His words were slightly slurred now but so were Sakura's. She honestly felt a little light-headed. Ino had disappeared into the crowd with a straight-faced Sai half an hour ago. When Sai had appeared was anyone's guess but his narrowed eyes conveyed nothing but contempt towards the man Sakura was talking to. Her boys always made a point of watching out for her. It was mildly endearing and entirely annoying.

"Wanna go dance?" She pouted up at him and he agreed. She led him onto the dance floor and started swinging her hips in time with the music.

Never had she felt so much like a regular 19 year old.

The feeling agreed with her.

* * *

Kakashi Hatake liked routine.

Routine meant getting up every day for training. Eating lunch at home. Doing some menial work for Tsunade and then going out for a few drinks.

Sakura Haruno didn't fit into the last part of this routine. So when he spotted her dancing atop a table at his usual haunt he was more than a little surprised. His first instinct was to pull her off the table and take her back home but then he spotted the man she was dancing with and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

He literally flew up to the table and pushed the guy into the crowd before grabbing Sakura and pulling her towards the door.

"Kaka-sensei what are you doing?" She was barely able to stand up. She kept tripping over her ridiculous shoes.

"Taking you home." The girl paled considerably at his words.

"No! You can't do that! If my mother sees me in this state she'll have my head! Please Kakashi-kun. Don't take me home." The kun she tacked on was probably his mind imagining things.

He sighed, defeated and dragged her out of the club. She was going to fall over if she continued trying to walk.

"Okay, climb on. I won't take you home." Sakura was bewildered for a moment before wrapping her arms around his neck so he could lift her up onto his back. She snuggled into his shoulder blades defiantly and he was pretty sure that she would sleep right then and there if she had the choice.

* * *

Sakura felt very warm. A little _too _warm if you asked her but still fairly comfortable. She was snuggled into the thick cotton bed sheets of-. _Wait a minute. Since when do I own cotton bed sheets? _Sakura opened her eyes but quickly regretted it. The bright sunlight assaulted her eyes and made her head throb. She groaned and turned over, accidentally pressing herself into someone's chest. Sakura froze and mentally tried to reconstruct last night as the questions, '_who, where, why and what the fuck?' _flashed through her mind. The person shifted themselves and sat up, pulling her up with her. She squeaked at the sudden movement and turned to see - slowly, owing to her obvious hangover - to see who it was.

"Morning sleeping beauty. I'm assuming you want to know what the heck you're doing here." Kakashi's smug voice drifted towards her and if her head wasn't as sore as it was she would have screamed at him by now. At that precise moment in time however all she did was fall backwards into the pillows and groan.

"Kakashi-sensei what am I doing here? In your bed nonetheless?" She could practically hear his smirk.

"Well you were dancing atop a table at this club so I tried to take you home but you didn't want your parents to see you so I gave you a piggyback ride to my house instead." Sakura's mind flashed with blurred images.

"What happened to Ino?" _And Masaru_.

"She went home with Sai. You were completely drunk so she left you to me. I still can't believe she took you there though." Sakura bristled at this.

"I'm legally an adult Kakashi-sensei. I had as much right to be there as you did." She couldn't believe he was treating her like a child.

"I know that Sakura-chan. I just didn't want you to get hurt. I worry, you know?" His tone made her feel slightly guilty for snapping at him earlier.

"It's okay. Now help me up so that I can get rid of this hangover. I think I have enough chakra for it." Kakashi tsked and stopped her.

"Uh uh. You are going to stay right there and I'm going to treat this like a normal person. Water and food. No healing jutsu. She gaped at him.

"But _sensei-"_

"Nope. No buts about it. I already called Tsunade-sama and she gave you the day off." Sakura gave up protesting and spread herself across the bed. She was dimly aware that she was no longer wearing her dress. Instead she was in a loose shirt and was sans pants. Luckily she was still in her underwear and chest bindings from the previous night.

"Okay then slave. Get started." Kakashi laughed but conceded to her wishes.

Sometimes his cherry-blossom made him smile.

* * *

_N/A: Okay short authors note. I hope to update this story once a week (every Sunday) until I reach the epilogue (which should be chapter 21, depending on how things go) and I'll always finish the next chapter before posting one. That way I build up a buffer. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!_

**_Please Review!_ :)**


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did 'Naruto: The Last' would be renamed 'Naruto: Hinata's genjutsu induced fantasies'_

* * *

**O**

* * *

Talk About Eternity

**Chapter 3: **_Saffron_

* * *

**O**

* * *

The next three weeks left Sakura feeling tired and underappreciated. Though she just about always felt underappreciated. Itachi's nightmares seemed to be a non-stop thing. She often found herself being hurried to his room by a terrified nurse. Most of the staff at the hospital refused to acknowledge the Uchiha's existence. There were three young girls on constant rotation that were supposed to just check his IV and make sure he was still breathing. Unfortunately all of them were terrified by the clan heir and the moment he so much as stirred from his never-ending state of comatosis they would run screaming to Sakura.

She supposed they had good enough reason. He _had_ killed his entire clan, save Sasu-baka. Even before the massacre he was known as the most powerful shinobi of his generation and these views were just about shoved down everyone's throats by his father. He had been an ANBU squad captain at the tender age of 14. At 14 Sakura was a lovesick fan girl who clung on the every word that left his brother's mouth (as limited as this range of words was).

The ANBU guards switched regularly and remained impassive as always. She wondered how they maintained the silence. She would go insane if she was never allowed to talk. Still they had a purpose, a job. And Kami knew that being a good shinobi meant always doing the job properly, as stupid as it may seem.

The Uchiha had yet to actually say anything. He was completely out of it. Whenever he was awake he would sit with his arms wrapped around his legs and stare at the fluorescent lights attached to the hospital ceiling. She knew he could see nothing but indefinite blurs. Sakura herself probably looked like a blob of strawberry ice-cream that was melting in the summer heat.

She had attempted to talk to him a few times but he never replied. She was starting to wonder if she was ever going to make any progress. The ANBU interrogation unit was getting antsy as well. They kept asking her when he would be well enough to be interrogated. The asked her _every single day_. She promised them that the Uchiha was getting better but it would still be some time before he was well enough to stand up to the interrogation process. They coldly reminded her that he wasn't _supposed _to stand up to it. The easier he broke the quicker they could be done with him.

_And the worse he'll come out in the end._

Yes, Sakura had a history with the Uchiha brothers. Well, one in particular, but she was sort of fond of this one. She knew what had actually transpired on the night of the Uchiha massacre. Itachi was a pacifist and he knew that to keep the peace his clan would have to be killed. But he spared his brother. In some ways this was worse for Sasuke. He was forced to grow up without a family. Itachi wanted Sasuke to seek revenge against him which was Sasuke's drive his whole life. Sakura could not help but be bitter over this fact. It was this that pulled Sasuke away from their team, from her and Naruto.

Sakura Haruno was known to be able to hold grudges for a very long time. Still she got over it. Seeing him helpless like this softened her just a little bit. He had never actively tried to hurt her. He had even saved her life on a few occasions. She knew what it was like to be trapped in your worst nightmare with no chance of escape. She dealt with it every time she closed her eyes.

She sat next to his bed one morning and tried to get him to respond. She'd managed to coax some food into him but other than the prospect of sustenance nothing seemed to bother him. She'd made good work of repairing his eyes, slowly but surely. The eye was a very delicate object and with his Sharingan she didn't want to chance making the problem worse. She knew that what work she did would ensure sight again but any and all further use of his Sharingan would be prohibited. You could only heal so much.

In the end her sheer exhaustion had won and she fell asleep in that seat, Itachi's rough and calloused hand clasped in her small one. That was how Kakashi found them. Sakura had shifted so that she was leaning against the bed. Itachi was also asleep, with his brows knit and an uncomfortable expression on his face. Kakashi smiled at the scene. He hadn't previously been aware that his ex-teammate was even still alive but now that he knew he would make a point to visit.

For now he simply sat down in the chair opposite Sakura's side of the bed and slouched down. He took Itachi's other arm and used it as a pillow. If Sakura was allowed to nap in the hospital then he was damn-well allowed to as well. His soft snores soon filled the silence.

* * *

When Sakura woke up she felt stiff but strangely rested. She hadn't had a single nightmare. This fact threw her for a loop, though not as much as the slight pressure of Itachi's hand that now grasped hers. Still what shocked her most was seeing Kaka-sensei snoring softly against Itachi's left arm. When had he been granted medical clearance? Who in their right mind would grant Kakashi Hatake medical clearance? The world was obviously messing with her.

Still, Itachi's face was finally calm and wasn't holding the twisted grimace it usually held when he slept. One particularly loud snore made her jump. She dimly wondered how he still _was _asleep with all the noise Kaka-sensei was making. She was oddly warm, which was strange only because she had come into work in a short summery dress with spaghetti straps and she guessed that by now she should have had a major case of Goosebumps thanks to the hospital's cooling system (devised by an unhappy Shikamaru who almost constantly bugged Temari for advice) but instead she felt toasty.

She realised that someone had given her a jacket. Her first suspect was Kakashi since he was prone to doing stupid things but he was still wearing his. The only other person who knew she was there that could possibly have lent her a jacket was Itachi. But that made no sense at all. He was fast asleep.

_But he isn't wearing his jacket. _

Sakura's head swam. How could he have known she was cold? And when had he given it to her. None of this made the slightest bit of sense. If he really was getting better she would have to hand him over to the inquisitorial squad. If she did, he would certainly be dead the next day.

No. He had already died once. Sakura couldn't allow Itachi to fall into Takehiro's hands. He was a monster; his methods of information extraction were absolutely disgusting and entirely inhumane. Sakura oftentimes wondered how he had managed to become head of the interrogation division during the war.

_Oh yes. We were desperate._

Ibiki would have thrown a fit if he was still around.

Sakura hadn't known true desperation before the war. The war had shaped her, defined her. The war made her see things she wished upon no man, not even Orochimaru. The sheer amount of bloodshed had made her indifferent to the idea of death. It no longer scared her. The fact that she didn't mind dying was what actually scared her.

Kakashi snorted particularly loudly and broke Sakura out of her reverie. She frowned and faintly recalled that Kakashi had never been into the habit of snoring before. She wondered what had brought on the change. Perhaps he was sick as well and that was why he had visited. Then some stupid nurse had directed him here. Still he looked so young and vulnerable when he slept; at least what she could see of him.

/Oh Sakura, just do it/

_Shut up. What if he wakes up?_

/Blame Itachi/

Sakura gingerly started to tug at the corners of the mysterious black mask but Kakashi's hand grabbed her wrist.

"Sakura-san, what are you doing?" Sakura gave a few half-hearted hahaha's before dropping her head.

"I just wanted to see what's under your mask Kaka-sensei." She pouted for effect.

"A nose and a mouth Sakura-san. And I thought you were a doctor." Kakashi gave no indication of budging on the subject and Sakura sighed.

"Fine. We shall continue this conversation later." Sakura was probably the most stubborn woman in the entire village; the only person more stubborn than her being Sasu-baka.

"Whatever you say, princess." Kakashi got up and stretched, arching backwards.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and was about to just leave – giving no reason as to why he was present – but Sakura would have none of it.

"Why are you here Kakashi-sensei?"

"I was looking for you. A very pretty young nurse told me that you were busy with a patient and that it would be best if you weren't disturbed. I calmly informed her that I had free reign of the place and she brought me down here. The ANBU guards outside are old friends of mine and know I've got in with the Hokage so they let me through. I was surprised to see Itachi-san but, life goes on."

The way he made everything seem so laidback and unimportant infuriated her. He had come into the hospital without her permission; threatened a nurse who was _on duty; _and sweet-talked the guards into letting him into a restricted area.

"You are a sneaky, conniving and majorly annoying little shit, Hatake. Take my word; I will not stand for this. Next time you want to visit, you can sign in during visiting hours like the rest of the sane world." Her hand itched to slap him but he would no doubt catch her hand before it even got close and she didn't feel like wasting energy.

"Aw. Don't be rash Sakura-chan!" He knew the familiarity of calling her Sakura-chan disarmed her. She was never prepared for it. She took a step back and – being the clumsy little girl she was – fell backwards before having her waist caught. She found herself staring up into a mess of silver hair and a lone eye.

"Please refrain from making out in my room. Just because I can't see you doesn't mean I can't hear you." Sakura shrieked and pulled herself from Kakashi's hug or whatever it was. She immediately rushed to Itachi's side and started checking his vital signs.

"Itachi? How, but, why didn't you speak before?" The Uchiha became visibly complacent. He didn't utter another word. It was as if he hadn't spoken at all.

"This is bad. This is very _very _bad. What am I going to tell Tsunade? The Interrogation squad is going to kill him." Sakura turned to Kakashi with fire in her eyes. "You! It's your fault that he talked in the first place. Now there are going to be ANBU arriving to drag him to Intelligence. Do you know what they do to people there? Of course you do. You've probably played the role of interrogator once or twice." She was being insensitive and she knew it but by this point she couldn't care less. She needed to find a way to convince Tsunade not to hand him over. She didn't notice the shift of atmosphere in the room. Kakashi clenched his fist.

"Sakura you have no idea what it's like have to be the torturer. You have to be emotionless. You are forced to hurt people in the most mind-destroying ways possible. Do you know how many innocents get taken in for interrogation? They _lie _just to be granted the mercy of death. They say they were involved and give false testimony because one can never be sure if someone is innocent or just really good at lying. They horrors I've seen are nothing to joke about." He spat the words out like poison in his mouth. Sakura whipped her head around and growled slightly.

"But I'm not joking. You say yourself that you know what will happen to him. But you don't care that you could have possibly just given him right to them. You've damned him Hatake. And you can't pretend that doesn't hurt." Her words were laced with ice but Kakashi didn't budge.

"Don't blame him. I damned myself. It's not as if I have anything to live for anymore. My brother has defeated me. He is living his life. My family is dead. I have no cause, no purpose. I might as well end the suffering a little sooner." Sakura felt her blood run cold at his words. Even Kakashi didn't manage to keep the emotion off of his face.

"Send me to Ibiki. I might as well get it over and done with. Just, don't tell Sasuke." His emotion peaked through as Itachi whispered his brother's name. Sakura let go of the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

"No." The word radiated through the room. Kakashi jerked his head backward.

"It isn't your choice. I wasn't asking." The words were icy but Sakura ignored the chill that ran down her spine.

"No. I've had enough. I'm not going to let you push me around like I'm some sort of child. I don't have to concede to your wishes." Sakura curled her hands into fists and clenched her jaw. She could have stopped there, but, she _needed _to keep going. "I used to think you were brave, giving up your family to protect the village, allowing yourself to be killed so your brother would be at peace, but now I can see that I was wrong. You aren't brave. You," She didn't even know to who she was referring anymore, "Are a coward. I will not let you run away from your problems. Just suck it up and deal with it, like everyone else."

Sakura knew her words were harsh. She could feel the weight of the silence in the room and decided she'd had enough.

"I have work to do. Get out of my hospital." She directed this comment at Kakashi and he frowned but left. Itachi was still silent. She didn't turn around and apologise. She didn't feel bad about what she had said. It was the truth, and as bad as it may seem, sometimes people needed to hear the truth.

Sakura left the hospital room with one thought.

_'I won't let him be a coward again.'_

* * *

Sakura closed her eyes and sighed.

Takehiro was pestering her again. Apparently he was unaware that Itachi had recovered enough to be interrogated but he was still attempting to get her to release him.

She had been spending a considerable amount of time at the library lately and had convinced Tsunade to allow her into the Hokage's scroll room. Tsunade seemed unaware of Itachi's condition as well. This bothered her. Were the ANBU guards unable to hear her little outburst? She continued on like they hadn't and nothing had been made of it. She was still searching for a way to repair Itachi's eyesight while still giving him use of his Sharingan once the process was complete. Still there was little to nothing written about the Sharingan and its effects after overuse. She had been avoiding talking to Kakashi but she was running out of options.

He probably knew something she wasn't able to find. After the incident at the hospital Sakura had started to feel slightly bad about her words.

/You were right though. There is no denying that./

_But what do I say to Kakashi now?_

/Well if you don't know how am I supposed to? I am you after all./

_Very useful, thanks._

_Oh Kami I'm insane._

/Yes you are./

It turned out that Sakura didn't need to find Kakashi after all. He came and found her.

It was becoming steadily cooler in Konoha and Sakura had woken up that morning to a light drizzle and a soaked laundry line. It was her premeditated day off, the only one she got every two weeks and she often found herself with nothing to do. Now she couldn't really visit the gardens as she had planned to do. Instead she found herself tying a silver and blue kimono around her waist before setting off into town with an umbrella.

Sakura liked to pretend she was a civilian sometimes. She could have been one, as both her parents were, but fate had decided otherwise and set her upon the path of a shinobi.

She hummed softly as she walked, young children running past her. They were smiling so widely and brightly. Her heart clenched for a moment and she suddenly missed Naruto. She longed for the days when he was a carefree young prankster and she had regularly had to hit him upside the head to stop him from doing stupid stuff. She hadn't liked him very much but she'd warmed up to him quickly. He was such a difficult person to be friends with sometimes but honestly she could do with a bit of his comic relief.

Life had been so much easier then. But they were both happy in their own ways. Sakura was an accomplished kunoichi and was officially a Jonin from age 18. She was running the entire Konoha healthcare system. It took a lot of patience, doctors were temperamental people.

Still she felt like something was missing. She it wasn't a partner, plenty of people around her were more than happy alone. She had great friends; even Ino, who had allowed her to dance of a table top while roaring drunk. She would most likely never live that episode down.

Still she weaved carefully though the crowd of people and stopped at each of the vendors carts. She had borrowed her mother's basket and was busy buying everything she would need to make her own dango. Her mother's syrup was always the best and coupled with her strange dango-making ability they always sold out very quickly at the shop. She grabbed the special flour last and out of the corner of her eye spotted Ichiraku's. How long had it been since she had had a good bowl of ramen. She had half-expected to see Naruto chowing down there as well but he was away on an A-rank mission currently, with Sai no less. Ino had been whining about her boyfriend's absence for the past week. It astounded her that Ino and Sai had gotten so close despite the fact that the ex-ANBU operative was nearly completely unable to show any emotion. The salty smell of fresh ramen wafted out of the canopied bar. Her stomach growled quietly and she conceded.

_Well one bowl won't hurt._

She sat down and placed her basket in the chair beside her. She ordered a bowl of seafood ramen just because. She knew that too much ramen wasn't good for you but you could indulge every now and again. She itched to go back to the days where she trained so much she didn't have to fear eating a couple of bowls of ramen.

Still she enjoyed her ramen and smiled when she was done. She felt rather satisfied though she knew there was still a lot of work to be done if she was to stop Takehiro from essentially killing Itachi before he could reconcile himself with his brother.

"Deep in thought there cherry-blossom?" Sakura swivelled to see that Kakashi had taken a seat next to her. He looked extremely tired. Despite their disagreement she couldn't help worrying over his condition, he looked awful.

"Are you okay sensei? You're looking a bit, _under the weather_." It was an understatement. He was obviously exhausted. He had dark rings under his eyes from lack of sleep. His shoulders were very tense and he was twitchy.

"I'm fine." End of conversation then. Boys were so inconsolably stubborn.

"Okay. Well I was actually going to ask you something but seeing as you are obviously in denial as to your own terrible condition I'm just gonna go home and make some dango. Goodbye sensei." She got up and turned around to reach for her basket.

"Sakura-chan what did you need?" She smirked a bit and sat down again.

"Well I was wondering if you knew anything about the mangekyo sharingan and the effects of overuse. Maybe you know of a way to cure the damage?" He looked slightly puzzled for a moment before shaking his head.

"I'm afraid I don't. Of course overuse can cause severe damage to the eye and eventually blindness but as to how it can be cured, well that's unknown." Sakura had expected such an answer. Still it hadn't stopped her from being hopeful.

"Well there is _one _person who probably knows the answer. Or at least has some medical history files that contain the answer to that little problem." She promptly punched him in the arm but stopped herself before she could actually break anything. Still the bruise would be satisfying enough.

_Well here we go again._

* * *

She was apprehensive at first and knocked lightly before stepping back. There was no answer. No movement to suggest that this house hadn't been abandoned for years. But she could sense his chakra signature from a mile away He was home, and wide awake.

_Screw it. Why should I knock softly? I don't owe him anything._

She banged on the door hard enough to set cracks right through it.

"Sasuke Uchiha! Don't ignore me you pompous twit!" She just wanted to get this over and done with and he wasn't making it any easier.

She heard his loud grumbles as he stomped his way to the door before throwing it open, nearly whacking himself in the face. She snickered, much to his chagrin.

"What do you want?" He was clearly ticked off but his anger couldn't even stand up to hers if she was lying down.

"Why did you just blatantly ignore me?"

"Isn't that what you've been doing to me since I got back?" He was scowling at her. His indifferent mask was gone for now. It was slightly refreshing to see him not pretending to be free of emotions.

"Yes but that's because you are an insensitive prat who doesn't even know what to apologise for when he tries." He growled under his breath.

"Well if you're only here to insult me then get out." He was about to close the door I her face but she stopped it with her foot.

"Ugh, I actually need your help okay? Just let me in." He sighed but allowed her entrance and he quickly moved towards his kitchen. Well what was left of it anyway. Sakura snorted at the state of the kitchen.

"Someone has anger management issues." He had completely charred half of it and the table was split in half. He harrumphed.

"I never said I could cook." She chuckled softly. Though how he'd managed half of the mess while _cooking _stunned her it was still pretty amusing.

"Quite obviously not." He grabbed two tea-cups and poured some tea into each of them.

"Tea?" She took the cup gratefully.

"What is it with you Uchiha's and the obsession with tea?" She sipped hers slowly. It warmed her right down to her toes and made her muscles feel less achy. The was something incredibly calming about this tea. It set her at ease.

"It's just a tradition. Now what did you want to ask me?" Sakura paused. She knew she had to tread carefully.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan. If you happened to overuse one and it caused blindness, how would you go about repairing that?"

"You can't. It isn't possible. End of discussion." He became suddenly defensive.

"But don't you have any medical records? Nothing's impossible. I'm sure if I looked I could find something-"

"Why do you even care? It's not as if you have to deal with Sharingan on a daily basis now is it?"

Sakura kept her mouth shut. She had backed herself into a hole. Sasuke's eyes narrowed in comprehension.

"He's here isn't he? He's alive." It was a rhetorical question.

"Sasuke, please don't go and do something you might regret now. He's harmless. He's blind for Kami's sake!"

"Don't lie to me Sakura. I _know _you. Why are you defending him?" He was suddenly shouting.

"Because you two both need to get over yourselves and accept that you're family. You're the only family he has and vice versa. Don't take that for granted." He wasn't even looking at her anymore.

"Get out. And don't bother asking me again." Sakura was about to protest but decided that it was useless. She would have better luck arguing with a dead fish.

"Fine. Be a bitter idiot." She left the Uchiha compound feeling utterly defeated. That had gone exactly as she had expected it to. And it wasn't a good thing.

She raised her face towards the sky an let the soft droplets of rain splash against her porcelain skin.

This was not going to be easy.

She had an uphill battle to fight.

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**O**

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_A/N: So that was chapter 3! Woot! With all these awesome empowered Sakura fics floating around I have another fanfic idea floating around in my head but I don't want to start it until I've finished this one (which I'm nearly done outlining now) but I might tell you about it next chapter! Look out for it in the A/N. Thanks for reading :)_

_Also I'm not even sure I should continue with this fic at all. My original response was good, 5 reviews for the first chapter was awesome but I feel discouraged by the lack of reviews for chapter two. If this story doesn't work out I do have a one-shot series planned as well as that other Sakura-centric thing so... please do review._

**Please Review!**


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